BOISE, Idaho — A long-time Boise figure skating coach appeared in federal court on Tuesday on child pornography charges.
Jonathan Schmidt, 40, was arrested in August after investigators said they found multiple files of child pornography in his home. Schmidt later admitted to watching and downloading child porn for "many years."
Prior to his arrest, Schmidt had been a youth figure-skating coach at Idaho IceWorld since 2009.
On Tuesday, Schmidt appeared in a federal courtroom in Boise, where he waived his right to a preliminary hearing.
Also in court, it was discussed whether to keep Schmidt in custody or release him on his own recognizance.
The judge agreed to release him from custody, saying he had no prior criminal history and was not believed to be a flight risk.
However, there were several restrictions put in place as part of his release. Schmidt is not allowed to have any contact with minors, no internet access and no access to electronic devices that can he can get the internet on. Schmidt will also have GPS and location monitoring, as well as a curfew.
He will be living with relatives and the judge said in court that any electronic devices in the home he's staying in will be password protected so Schmidt cannot access the internet.
Other restrictions on his release include no international travel, no possessing a firearm, and he must check in with pretrial services regularly.
With the waving of a preliminary hearing, the case now awaits an indictment by the grand jury before moving forward.
If convicted, Schmidt faces up to 20 years in prison.
According to the Idaho Crimes Against Children Task Force, Schmidt knowingly possessed child pornography files between Jan. 29 and Aug. 21 of 2019. Court documents state investigators found a device on an IP address that connected Schmidt to downloads of illegal content that involved child pornography.
Boise Parks and Recreation previously told KTVB that Schmidt passed all yearly criminal background checks.